Advice before editing this pre-1700 Bender profile?

Question

I have information to contribute to the profile of Johann Jacob Bender II. This is what I can add:

• Correct spelling of names.
• Correct dates of birth and death and places. 
• I can add photos.

These are the sources I am using:

• Source Citation for Baden, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriage, and Burials, 1502-1985
• Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marrriages, and Burials, 15000-1971
• Germany, Select Deaths and Burials, 1582-1958
• Millennuim File
• New York, Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989
• Pennsylvania, Compiled Census and Census substitutes Index, 1772-1890
• U.S., sond of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970

Should I contact one of the pre-1700 projects or know about any style guidelines before proceeding? Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi, Sherry, and thanks for helping to build our WikiTree. Since you are pre-1700 certified and this profile is not project protected you should feel free to add citations which improve the profile (which is currently thinly sourced).

On your sources above, have you hopped over to Family Search to see if you can find the actual baptismal record? That would give you a better citation and perhaps an image of the original. What is the source data for Germany Select Deaths and Burials? Make sure it is no user submitted data. Ancestry's Millennium File is not a generally acceptable source for pre-1700 profiles as it is comprised of user submitted data and often unverified. Likewise, SAR membership applications are not acceptable sources unless they are in their verified online database and marked verified. (SAR you find at Ancestry is old, often unverified, information.)

Lastly, take care when changing the spelling of names, particularly surnames. The surname spelling should match period documents such as baptismal record.

Comments

Thank you so much. I look forward to working on this profile!!